Turkish football club Galatasaray have expelled Sunday two former players known to have ties with Fetullah Organization which is considered as a terror group according to Turkish governement.
Galatasaray's management board voted in the extraordinary meeting to cancel the memberships of Hakan Sukur and Arif Erdem, two former Galatasaray players with international caps.
The club's board in its annual meeting on Saturday expelled several members due to their alleged or established links with a group known as Fetullah Organization (FETO) including former Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu and former judiciary member Zekeriya Oz, among others.
But Sukur and Erdem were voted to remain part of the club's membership.
On Saturday, Turkey's Sports and Youth Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic expressed discontent with the decision, saying: "The Galatasaray board need to correct the issue immediately.
"Traitors to our country and our state have no business in our established sports clubs,” the minister said. "The board's voting is inexplicable to the families of our martyrs and veterans," he added.
Both Sukur and Erdem were in the celebrated squad that won the UEFA Cup in 2000.
They are also known to be supporters of FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara says masterminded the July 15 coup attempt.
(Text edited by Albawaba)
